Level 42 - Retroglide

Level 42
Retroglide
2006

A dozen years since the last true studio album and almost twenty since the classic lineup recorded together, Mark King and Mike Lindup are back as Level 42, with Boon Gould having contributed writing and Phil Gould having rumoured to have done unattributed arrangements on a least one cut. While this falls short of a true reunion, the sound is a welcome --if incomplete-- return.

Level 42 left a wake of not only commercial pop success throughout the 1980s, but influential cred with what would become the jazz-funk and acid jazz movements that followed. Originally a quartet of King, Lindup and the Gould brothers, they married Return to Forever jazz fusion chops to white-soul and New Wave. Differences over the direction of the band caused the Gould brothers to vacate in 1987, with Gary Husband (Bill Cobham, Allan Holdsworth) filling the drum chair, and a rotating cast in the guitar seat (including Jakko Jacyzyk, Holdsworth and the late Alan Murphy). They struggled to find an identity from 88-92, and eventually ended on a high note with Phil Gould returning to the studio with Lindup and King for the very underrated Forever Now album.

From there King took the name and basically toured the band into semi-obscurity as basically a nostalgia act (complete with steady releases of live material of questionable quality) with session players in tow (including Husband and King's sibling), until events seemed to finally bring things somewhat full circle. Apparently this album idea started with all four original members working, as well as unofficial 5th man Wally Badarou (Talking Heads, Grace Jones, Da Lata). It broke down to what we have now.

So what do we have?

This is not the best album they could have probably made, as the lack of Phil Gould is truly lacking. While Husband is a more than capable drummer, his feel is radically different, and it is Gould's deceptively simple trap kit slink I miss the most. That being said, this album is a King and Boon Gould collaboration in the composition department, and that has kept King's cheesy tendencies at bay. There are lots of solid hooks and melodies, and while not as many full bore tracks as I would like, the album is not the ballad-laden mess of King's last solo album, One Man.

But when the group goes for broke, it really succeeds, especially on the lead of cut Dive into the Sun; punchy synths, layered vocals and the kind of bass work that shows you why King is nicknamed "thunder thumb." Rooted is a thick slice of anthemic pop-fusion that works extremely well, as does the neo-soul informed All Around and . Where the album falters is in most of the slower tracks, like the dull UK bonus track All I Need and Clouds. Where it succeeds, is in the very laid back Ship.

As the title implies, this album does go very retro to the period and style that made Level 42 multi-million selling chart toppers, but I don't think making the cover of the NME was the goal, as much as just capitulating to being shameless uncool and just having a damn good time.

Which is why this album is one of the better releases of 2006.